Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-11
TEACHERS, INSTITUTE.
Second Days Proceedings-Addresse by
Messrs. Hoitt and Campbell.

1 GOV A. M NtSteTudy III the CdpltOl Gram-
mar School at Tenth and streets. The
roll was called. nearly all answered 10 their
names, and the minutes of the session on
! the previous day were read and approved.
State Superintendent of Public Instruc-
ton Hoitt was present and favored the In
stitute with short address.
The Institute then resolved itself into
three sections and were instructed in teach
ing methods of arithmetic by james H
Pond, in language by Charles V. Osborn
and in map drawing by Professor E. Knowl-
| ton.
| The Institute reassembled at Ills and
were entertained with an instrumental solo
| by Miss Lille Crowell.
Professor J. w. Johnson, prompted by a
| communication that had appeared in To-
cal paper eondemning certain acts of the
County School Superintendent, moved that
| the action of Superintendent Howard in
| appointing Committees on Introductions
and Resolutions be approved by the Insti-
| tute.
The Superintendent called Professor An
derson to the chair, and the motion was
| adopted unanimously.
Mr.. Howard thanked the Institute for
their Endorsement. State School Superin-
! tendent Hoitt spoke in favor of such action
saying this course was pursued in nearly all
County Institutes
If the Bees correspondent was present
he or she hid their identity by raising their
voice in the affirmative.
Professor Knowlton said his attention
had been called to the unjust criticism in
the paper referred to, and he could say that
1t was not only the proper thing to do, but
was the custom followed everywhere.
Recess.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
The Institute resumed its session at 100
P. NJ. The classes of Miss Amelia Klippel
and Miss Irene Richardson, of the Third
Grade of the Capitol Grammar School,
favored the Institute with some excellent
singing. Forty-eight little girls marched
in to music and made a fine appearance
Mrs. E. B. Purnell read an essay upon
1.-THE Duties of Teachers" which was an
able paper and well received. Upon motion,
Mrs. Purnell was unanimously requested
to furnish copy of her essay for publica-
ton.
Superintendent Howard submitted cop
les of the Memorials of Henry Brace
Norton" and the Secretary read commu-
cation from Prof. Chas. II. Allen, of the
State Normal School, recommending the
work.
Superintendent F. NJ. Campbell, of Oak
land, read an address on Education, Its
Debatable, Its Unbeatable" He said
people who have not made the matter a
special subject of thought, are very likely
to get the idea that, in the field of educa-
ton, everything is an open question; that
| there are no settled principles, no automatic
truths. One hears controversies on this
point, and contrary on that debates, dis
putes, arguments and counter arguments,
axyQr n in, all
educational questions merely themes for
endless and never-settled discussion.
This, however, is but superficial view of
| the case. n doubt there is a vast amount of
discussion in the general field of education,
| and it is well that there should be, for in
! quiry, doubt, discussion-even hot debate
are the winds and tides that keep the great
| world ocean of educational
| thought from stagnating, and common
sense, one might add, is the good clean
| salt that keeps 1t all clear and sweet. 1t
would be bad day for the world wide COM
| merce of ideas and truth if this ocean of
| thought ever should stagnate into
| perfect, dull, uniform agreement as to all
| the details of school systems and school
management and school work. But it is
| not by any means true that everything is
| in dispute. Down underneath the rippled
| and agitated surface there is a deep ocean
of calm convictions, body of settled truth
on which not only we, with our separate
experiences and points of view, not only
our whole country, but the whole civilized
! world is agreed. The speaker then took up
| the debatable and the undesirable groun( g
and discussed them at length, and closed
| by saying: Il have spoken as if educa-
ton were only thing of the schools, and
for the period of childhood. l know in a
broad sense it is thing for every age, and
for all ones life. When the millennium
comes Robert Dale Owen used to say,
| when there are no more reforms needed
we will all travel Yes, and we will all
| read, and observe, and study. We talk too
much, as if the student life were only pre-
paratory in fact. it is the ideal life itself
1t is only the hard necessities of practical
existence that prevents every day from be-
ing sort of delightful, grown-up school
day, with some new acquisition in it, some
new insight into nature, some new guild
ance from wiser minds than ours.
"a somewhat sarcastic literary man of our
time has said that we are the most COM
| mon-schooled and least cultivated people
| on the face of the earth Perhaps that is
the reason why we are the most intelligent.
| best governed most prosperous people on
| the face of the earth. We may not be al
| together cultured in the sense of bric-a-
brac and the aesthetic sunfiower, but let us
| thank Heaven that we are common
| schooled. For that means that with us
intelligence, in the seeing eye, and the
| hearing ear and the understanding mind,
is not the privilege of a small and favored
caste, but is the heritage of every boy and
| OF every girl. 1t means that when q great
| discovery is made in science, or when a
| great principle is wrought out in practical
affairs, it comes, not merely as a scattered
spark to here and there solitary indi-
vidual, but dawns like sunrise over a
whole people. 1t means that if
a great injustice and wrong is
committed anywhere among the
nations, the blush of Indignation burns
over the whole republic like sunset glow
across the sky, and when deed of heroism
| is recorded, or some great vindication of
| justice and right is consumnated, the
tidal wave of sympathy runs through our
| millions of hearts and thrills us as one
| man.
| The pessimist may lie on his back and
| whine out his question of whether life is
| worth iving-and indeed it may be doubt
| full if his life is worth anything-to us
I but no healthy mind can doubt that this
wonderful lie is not only worth living
now, but coming to be better and better
| worth living. So long as we seek the
highest ends, and seek them together, and
| seek them for each other, who can help
seeing that this is endless hope for the
| generations to come"
| During q fifteen minutes recess which
ensued, the organization of the California
Reading Circle was completed in one of the
| division rooms.
After recess vote of thanks was ten
| dereu Professor Campbell for his able, in
| teresting and instructive address
Professor Knowlton occupied the closing
hour in presenting his topic, what is
| Good Orderf"
| EVENING SESSION.
The attendance at the Sixth street NJ E
| Church last evening was quite large, all
| the seats in the main hall being taken and
( the gallery we'll filled. A vocal quartet
| composed of Mrs. cambridge, Mrs. Addie
Carter, Messrs. Bruner and Cohen sang
Break! Break Break' State Super
intendent Hoitt delivered carefully pre-
pared lecture on Progress of Popular
| Education" which was well received and
frequently interrupted with applause.
Mrs. cambridge and Mrs. Carter sang
duet, ' Welcome TO Spring." and Professor
Knowlton gave number of fine readings.
|